Offense Rolls in Lady Jacket Sweep (4/7/06)
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Game Photos

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings softball team had to be feeling good to be home on Friday after they scored 24 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State.  Coming off a 12-game conference road trip during which they went 1-11, the Lady Yellowjackets let their bats do the talking in Friday’s conference home opener.  MSUB won both ends of the double-dip via the eight-run rule, taking the first game 10-1 and the second 14-6.

The victories improved the Jackets’ season record to 10-28 and their conference mark to 3-11.  Panhandle State fell to 4-35, 3-11.  The same teams will meet again on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Cenex Stadium.

Freshman pitcher Terina Stacks (Washougal, WA) finally earned her first victory of the season in the day’s opening game, spreading five hits and one earned run over six innings.  Stacks, who leads the Heartland Conference with three saves, has had several effective outings but has been the victim of spotty run support.  Her teammates did their part Friday in pounding out 10 runs on seven hits while Stacks struck out six without a walk.

The Yellowjackets took a commanding lead with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.  They tacked on one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and ended the game with three runs in the sixth inning.  Christy Wankel (Sr., Great Falls, MT) hit a three-run blast, her fifth of the season and second in as many games, to end the game with one out in the sixth inning.

Wankel and Aysha Maddox (Jr., Richland, WA) each drove in three runs for the Jackets.  Maddox was the only Yellowjacket to record multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-3, including her first home run of the season.  Six other Jackets had a hit apiece. 

The Aggies scored their only run of the game in the top of the sixth when Jacqueline Cornish drove in Catherine Daza.  Daza was 2-for-3 with a run scored in the game.  Aggies starter Rachel Hughes (2-13) took the loss, giving up seven hits and six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.  She struck out three and walked five.

Through the first four innings of game two the Yellowjackets seemed to have the game in hand.  Starter Lisa Moore (Fr., Bakersfield, CA) allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out six through four complete innings.  Meanwhile the Yellowjacket offense used a five-run fourth inning to build an 8-0 lead.

The Aggies answered with six runs in the top of the fifth inning off Yellowjacket reliever Rebekah Tsatsa (Fr., Eagle, ID) to momentarily avoid falling by the eight-run rule.  Tsatsa ended up allowing five hits and six runs in two innings of work although none of the runs were earned.  All six of the Aggies’ runs in the fifth came with two outs after a Yellowjacket error kept the inning alive.

Facing a suddenly close 8-6 game, the Yellowjackets responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the bottom of the sixth to record the eight-run victory.  Rachel Quarnburg’s (Jr., Billings, MT) double down the right field line with one out in the sixth scored Anna Henderson (Sr., Frenchtown, MT) and Stephanie Gosselin (Fr., Brentwood Bay, BC) to end the game.

Quarnburg was the star of the game, smashing two home runs and a double while driving in seven runs.  Quarnburg’s seven RBI broke her own school record of five in a single game.  She was 4-for-5 at the plate and also scored three times.

As a team eight different Yellowjackets combined for 14 hits and 14 RBI.  Gosselin was 2-for-5 and scored three times.  Henderson was 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI.  Moore, who improved to 6-12 with the win, helped her own cause by going 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI.  Jenna Haacke (So., Billings, MT) hit her ninth home run of the season to drive in two runs.

“It’s so nice to have the offense step up and get some runs right away,” said Yellowjacket head coach Sean McGary.  “We manufactured a few runs and then hit some home runs.  I’m pleased with our at bats today.  We didn’t go up there trying to hit home runs.  Both of Rachel’s were to the opposite field and so was Christy’s.  They just went up to the plate relaxed.  I was really pleased with Terina.  Her drop ball was working really well and she hit her spots.  We got the results we were looking for.  I thought Lisa threw well and hit her spots at the right times.  Even though Rebekah struggled early, she came back and pitched a couple good innings.”